


In The Eye of The Storm

by Spnaos



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Crying, Gen, M/M, Morality | Patton Sanders Angst, Nightmares, Yelling
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2021-01-04
Packaged: 2021-03-04 08:28:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,664
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24846832
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Spnaos/pseuds/Spnaos
Summary: In a world where some people are blessed with powers, Patton feels cursed.
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders & Logic | Logan Sanders, Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders
Comments: 23
Kudos: 69





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter warnings: an almost panic attack, food mention, insecurities

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton meets a kind stranger

Patton lives in a world where more than half of the population have powers. Most powers are small and tied to talent. That could be having the power of being extremely good at a certain sport, being able to talk every language, or always making food taste excellent. Some abilities are more flashy, though. Those are powers such as flight, invisibility, claws, or speed. Though rare, it is possible to have more than one power. Some people have up to three different abilities. Those people are seen as the luckiest people alive.

All the history books call the powers a blessing. However, Patton feels like his power is a curse. It has brought him nothing but harm.

\---

Patton was sat on a bench with his knees drawn up to his chest. he was trying to drown out all the voices. They were just so loud, and there were so many of them.

_ ‘One leaf, two leaves, three leaves, four. Crunchity crunchy crunch’  _ a small child thought while stepping on the colorful leaves that had started to fall from the trees. Their mom walked patiently, with a smile on her face, beside her child. Patton thought back to when he was the one stepping on leaves and laughing every time he heard the crunch. 

That was a long time ago. He wasn’t even sure that he could see that as a positive memory, though.

_ ‘Okay, so I have to buy milk, bread, eggs-..’ _ a young man listed off in his head. He was most likely on his way to the grocery store, which reminded Patton that he needed to go to the store too. But the store meant being surrounded by even more people. That meant even more noise, and he wasn’t feeling up to that.

_ ‘Oh, I hope I don’t get fired. I really hope I don’t get fired’  _ a young woman running at the speed of light thought. She was probably late for work. Patton hoped it would all turn out okay for the woman. He was pulled out of his thoughts by yet another voice.

_ ‘Why is he sitting like that? There must be something wrong with him. What a weirdo’  _ a man thought as he passed by. Patton tried not to let it bother him. But no matter how much he tried, he never succeeded in ignoring those kinds of thoughts. They would always bother him.

_ ‘Ugh, those pesky teens. They never look up from their phones’  _ an old man thought. He was glaring at a young teen who had a phone in their hand.

Patton knew that the teen wasn’t trying to be rude. In fact, they were thinking that exact thing. That it probably made them seem impolite. But they needed the phone to cope with social anxiety. Patton could hear all their anxious thoughts.

There were so many thoughts. He could hear them all around him. Every thought of every person in the park was in his head.

Patton knew too much. He knew what everyone was thinking.

He knew that the child on the playground thought that maybe he could manage to do a loop if he swung his feet fast enough.

He knew that the girl sitting up against a tree with headphones on was experiencing her first heartbreak. The thoughts of memories and song lyrics mixing together.

He knew that the woman on the other side of the park was trying to figure out if she should divorce her partner.

He could hear all their thoughts. Why did he choose to go to the park today when it was filled with so many people? Oh, yeah, he had thought it would be good for him to step outside for once. He hadn’t left his apartment in weeks. Now he remembered why that was. The noise was so loud! He couldn’t hear his  _ own  _ thoughts! Why hadn’t he just stayed at home? Home was safe. Home was good. Home was-

His breathing was getting faster.

“Hey man, you okay?” he heard from someone.

Another thought? Wait, no, that wasn’t a thought. Someone was speaking to him and having only one voice to focus on calmed Patton down a bit.

He looked up and saw a young man, around his age, with beautiful green eyes and dark, almost black hair with purple tips. The stranger looked at Patton with concern in his eyes and a nervous but charming smile on his lips.

He was absolutely stunning. 

Patton stared at him for a few seconds before he remembered that he hadn’t answered the question.

“Oh, yeah, I’m fine,” he said hastily, looking at everything but the man in front of him.

“Don’t lie to me” the stranger said softly, hesitantly sitting down next to him. “I’m an empath. I can feel that you’re not okay. And lying about feelings is something I’m a bit familiar with as well”

Patton felt himself freeze. Did this person really care enough about him to take time out of his, probably busy, life to make sure he was okay? An indescribable feeling filled his chest. 

It wouldn’t hurt to talk about it for once, right? And it wasn’t like he was going to see this stranger again.

“It’s just, um, the voices. They’re so incredibly loud,” he stuttered out.

The person stiffened beside him. “Wait, the voices?”

“Oh, no, not like that. It’s people’s thoughts. I, um, I have the ability to hear other people’s thoughts,” he said nervously.

“Oh, you’re blessed with powers too?”

Patton scoffed, and the stranger looked confused at him, waiting for him to elaborate. Patton regretted his reaction. But he owed the man beside him an explanation. 

“I wouldn’t say blessed. More like cursed” 

Patton hoped he hadn’t just offended the kind stranger. For some reason, he didn’t want the stranger to go.

“Why is that?” the young man said, looking at him curiously.

Patton felt a sigh of relief force it’s way up his throat. He didn’t know what it was, but he felt safe with this stranger. He felt like he could trust him. Maybe the man could understand it all? Patton could see in the stranger’s eyes that he wanted to listen, he wanted to help.

So he took the leap and told the man his life story. How he ended up all alone, hugging his knees, on a bench.

  
  
  



	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton's story

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Crying, Nightmare (creepy faces and strangling), Bullying (kinda)

_ 12 years ago. _

It was common knowledge that if you were destined to be blessed with powers, they would manifest at age thirteen.

Patton was bouncing up and down on his bed. He was so excited to go to school and see all his friends. Most of them had been blessed with powers. The newest one was his friend Kyle. Patton could not wait to hear what kind of cool stuff he had done with them.

They also had their ‘History of powers’ class today. It was Patton’s favorite class. He loved to hear about all the abilities people had had through time.    
  


His favorite thing to learn about in that class was the heroes, the people who chose to use their powers for good.

Of course, they also talked about the villains in that class, but Patton was less fascinated by them. They were honestly kind of scary, and Patton was glad that the heroes were there to stop them. He liked to think that he would stop villains if he got powers, but he was also kind of scared of that idea.

No one knew why some people got abilities, so everyone just collectively agreed that it was some higher power that had given some people powers. That was why they were called a blessing.

Patton often daydreamed about what his powers would be if he got any. 

If he got the ability to be extremely good at something, he would like to be  exceptionally talented at baking. He loved to bake with his mom. If he got that power, he would open up a bakery, and people would come from far away to taste his treats.

If he got a more unusual power, he would like to talk to animals. He loved animals so much and often wished he could communicate with them. If he got that power, he would work at a zoo. There, he would always know what the animals needed, and he could make sure they were taken care of. He could even make friends with them.

Maybe he would get both abilities. That would be an absolute dream. Patton could scream of excitement at the mere thought of it.

If he didn’t get blessed with powers, then that would be okay too. He would love to just hear about what all his friends were doing. He would support them with every inch of his being.

When his mom stopped the car in front of the school, Patton pushed the door open and jumped out. He was ready to run towards the school when he heard his mom yell after him.

“Patton, your backpack!”

He turned around, collected the backpack, gave his mother a quick peck on the cheek, and sprinted into the school.

During their lunch break, Patton sat with all his friends. Kyle was talking about his weekend and how he used his power to prank his brother. He even showed all of them his ability in action. He could control water, and right now he used the water from his cup to splash small drops of water on all his friends.

“You’re like Katara from Avatar: The Last Airbender. You can bend water!” Patton exclaimed.

They all looked at him with small awkward smiles. He heard all their voices at once. Patton thought he imagined it because none of them were moving their mouths.

_ ‘He’s so annoying’  _

_ ‘Why can’t he just stop talking for once’ _

_ ‘If he doesn’t get blessed with powers, is that a good enough reason to stop hanging out with him?’  _ Kyle said.

No, wait, thought. Kyle had thought that. Why could Patton hear it? And was that really what they all thought of him?

Patton had always had a voice in the back of his head that said his friends didn’t actually like him, but he tried to tell himself that it wasn’t true. That his mind was just being mean. __

But now Patton was questioning everything. Had that voice been right all along?

Was he now destined to hear their true opinions of him? Was this the power he was blessed with, hearing people’s thoughts?

He tried to stay positive and tell himself that they were just having a bad day and that he could live with the power of always knowing what people thought of him.

But as the day progressed, he heard more than enough of their thoughts. His hope of it all being okay was crushed.

He contemplated whether or not he should tell them about his new-found powers. Maybe they would think it was cool and want to be his friend for real this time. 

Or maybe they wouldn’t want to be near him at all because he would always know what they were thinking. Patton could understand that. He wouldn’t want people to hear everything he was thinking about all the time.

Maybe it was best if he just stayed away from them. They clearly wouldn’t miss him.

Patton wasn’t even excited about the ‘History of powers’ class anymore. He also couldn’t concentrate when all he could hear was thoughts of how boring the class was.

He just wanted to go home so he could hug his mom. Maybe they could bake some cookies like they always did when he was upset.

The drive home was pretty quiet, except for the music that played on the radio. Patton was grateful for something to focus on, so he didn't hear his mother's thoughts. He tried to piece together what he would tell his mom. How did he tell her that all his friends apparently hated him and that he found out he had powers? 

His mom didn’t have powers, so he wasn’t sure she would be able to help or understand what he was going through.

He helped her unload the groceries, gathering up the strength to talk to her.

“Hey, mom?” he hesitantly said, while putting the milk in the fridge.

“Yeah?” She responded, with a hint of worry in her voice.

_ ‘Oh no, he sounds upset. I don’t wanna deal with that. Can I just bake cookies with him? That usually distracts him’ _

Patton froze, and he felt his heart shatter into a million small pieces. He felt it would never truly be whole again.

His whole life was one big lie.

He had never been super close with his mom, but he didn’t think this was what she truly thought of him. Nothing more than a burden. 

“Nevermind, mom” He dejectedly said, trying not to let it show that his world was falling apart around him. 

_ ‘Oh, thank god’ _

Patton could almost hear the sound of relief in her thoughts.

He felt the anger bubble up inside him. The hurt was swirling inside him.

Why did everyone lie to him? He would rather have that they told him the truth and hated him than pretend to love him.

Patton had never felt more alone.

He looked at his mom with tears in his eyes.

_ ‘Stop pretending. Just act the way you’re truly feeling, mom’  _ he thought, turned around, and made his way to his room. 

He needed to lie down and maybe cry a little.

Yeah, no, he was definitely going to cry.

That night, Patton dreamt of all his so-called friends. They had smiles with long, sharp teeth that stretched to their ears on their faces. Their eyes were devoid of emotion, and they danced around him. Each of them had one end of a rope in their hands. The other ends were attached to him, slowly wrapping around him as they moved. The more they danced, the tighter the ropes got. They just kept dancing and dancing until he couldn’t breathe anymore. As soon as everything went black, it started all over again. They danced and smiled as he was strangled and crushed.

When Patton woke up the next day, everything had changed.

He walked down to get breakfast, and his mom didn’t even greet him. She looked at him once before walking out of the house to get to work. She just ignored him completely. It was as if he didn’t even exist.

Patton sank to the floor with tears streaming down his face as he realized what had happened.

She had stopped pretending.

She had done precisely what Patton had wanted her to do. Except he didn’t directly ask her to do it. It was just something he had been thinking. That thought had somehow planted itself in his mom’s mind. It was mind-control. He hadn’t done it on purpose, but it was still mind-control. 

He was terrified of what he could do with an ability like that.

Patton decided right then and there that the powers he had been given were not a blessing. They were a curse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Hope you liked it :D  
> Don't be afraid to leave a comment!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Can Virgil help?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Crying

“After all that, I kinda grew up alone. My mom didn’t, um, she didn’t care if I was there or not, and I didn’t make any new friends because I was afraid they would distance themselves once they found out what my powers were. I guess I just isolated myself” Patton spoke carefully. He had never been so open with someone before. 

“You’re the first person who I have told about my powers” he sheepishly said.

The stranger looked at him with sympathy in his eyes, and Patton realized that he had started crying during his story. Silent tears had streamed down his face, and he suddenly felt really embarrassed.

“Oh my gosh, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to -” he started. But he didn’t get to finish the sentence before he was interrupted.

“No, it’s okay, dude. Really, I mean it” the stranger quickly said, having felt Patton begin to panic. 

_‘I want to hug him so bad. Is that appropriate? Goddamn it, Virgil, just get your shit together and ask!’_ the stranger, no Virgil, thought, and Patton felt his cheeks heat up.

“It’s okay, um, I could really use a hug, Virgil” Patton sheepishly said. 

Virgil froze for a few seconds, confused as to how Patton knew his name, but then he remembered the whole mind-reading thing and slowly wrapped the other man in a hug.

And if pink dusted his cheeks, well, only he would know.

Patton felt like there was static electricity everywhere they touched. It had been too long since he had received a hug, so he melted into the embrace. He had also felt a certain warmth. Like he was sitting in front of a fireplace with hot chocolate in his hands. It felt like his whole body was a thousand times lighter like he could float up into the atmosphere at any moment. 

When had he closed his eyes?

Something was wrong.

“What are you doing?” he asked Virgil as he gently pulled himself out of the hug, but still held on to him.

Virgil looked at him with embarrassment, and a bit of panic, in his eyes. 

“I have, um, I have more than one power too,” Virgil stuttered out, and Patton gave him a curious look, waiting for him to explain more.

“I can take the pain people feel in the moment away. Kind of absorbing, it so I feel it instead. Don’t worry, though, I can get rid of it again. It creates a shadow-like mist that I can release at any point,” Virgil explained, looking at the ground.

He showed Patton by putting his hand forward and letting a black mist swirl around them before disappearing.

Patton know understood why he had suddenly felt a lot happier. 

He also noticed the tears on Virgil’s cheeks, tears that were created by his pain. Patton leaned forward and brushed the tears away with his thumb while Virgil gave him a shy smile.

“Please don’t do that, Virgil. I appreciate that you want to help, but I don’t want you to harm yourself” 

Virgil looked at him for a bit, before giving him an apologetic smile. 

“Sorry. Most people don’t like it when I do that. I should have asked” he eventually said.

“It’s okay” Patton responded. Neither of them looked at each other.

They sat in silence for a few minutes. Not uncomfortable silence. Just silence. 

Patton didn’t think any of it at first, but then he noticed the quiet. Normally when a person was as close as Virgil was, their thoughts would be unbearably loud, but he couldn’t hear Virgil’s thoughts at the moment. 

“Why can’t I hear your thoughts? Is something wrong?” he eventually asked.

“Oh, I used to struggle a lot with anxiety, but then I got some help. I guess I’m just good at controlling my thoughts now if that makes sense?”

Patton nodded along, indicating that he understood. 

“That reminds me. I might know someone who can help you” Virgil suddenly said, a smile appearing on his face.

“Really?!” Patton exclaimed. He could feel some form of hope welling up inside him. 

Virgil’s smile grew fond as he watched Patton’s excitement light up his eyes.

“Yeah, I used to be a lot like you. When I got my powers, I could feel what everyone felt, which was extremely overwhelming. The world is full of negativity, ya know, and I could feel every single drop of it” Virgil looked at the ground. Patton put a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“I too isolated myself for many years and developed anxiety and depression. My brother and best friend helped me get out of it. They found a therapist who specialized in ability related problems and someone who could help me control the powers. They helped me sort out my feelings and trained me to control my powers so I wouldn’t feel a million other people’s feelings too. I think they can help you control your powers too”

Patton couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Could he learn to control the curse? Could he live a life where he wasn’t forced to listen to what people were thinking all the time? He could live a life where he didn’t have to hear every single thing people thought of him, a life where he could walk outside without having anxiety attacks all the time. It was music to his ears. 

He had a hard time formulating any sentences. How did he respond without sounding way too desperate?

“I would love-, is it really possible to-, I don’t know what to-” he gave up on completing any of the sentences and just screamed: “YES! PLEASE!” before looking very embarrassed at the ground. That was a bit of an extreme reaction, he thought.

But Virgil just laughed softly at him while getting his phone out of his pocket.

“It is possible. We can exchange numbers, and then I can help you set up a meeting. I have to go now, tho. My brother is waiting for me at home” he said, and Patton gave him a big hug before sheepishly pulling away and giving him his number.

Virgil got up and gave him a small wave and smile before walking away from him.

Patton was so caught up in the hope for a better future that he completely missed what Virgil thought as he walked away from the bench.

  
_'Oh no, Virgil. The guy who is going to destroy the city, and who is possibly a psychopath, is adorable. I am too gay for this’_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it :D Next chapter probably won't be up tomorrow, so you have to wait a bit for it :(


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How Virgil ended up on the bench next to Patton

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter warnings: Yelling

One week earlier.

_ He is looking around the city. Everything is so loud. People are screaming at each other, buildings are being torn apart by the wind, and lightning is striking all it possibly can.  _

_ He feels a certain disappointment in his stomach, but he can’t quite place where it’s coming from. He spots an unconscious Roman a few feet away and protective anger bubbles in his stomach. _

_ Dust is clouding his vision, and he runs closer to where the destruction is coming from, determined to stop it. Behind the wall of things blowing around in the powerful winds, he sees a small man wearing a gray hoodie. He looks lifeless. Behind cracked glasses, his eyes are glowing white. Every split second it looks like someone is fighting him from inside. Like he's somehow trying to stop himself. _

_ He gets distracted when he hears his brother’s voice among the chaos. Virgil is running towards the man. _

_ “PATTON!” he screams, and Logan has never been more confused. Yet he also understands for some reason.  _

_ His brotherly instincts kick in, and he feels like he has to stop Virgil. _

_ “VIRGIL, DON’T!” he screams as he runs after him. But then everything goes black. _

* * *

Logan woke up in cold sweat from his vision. He knew it wasn’t a dream, because it had felt too real. That could only mean one thing. It was a vision, something that was going to happen, and he had to stop it.

The next morning he called a “family meeting” to discuss what to do.

Roman sat at the table with a cup of coffee in his hands. Every few seconds, his eyes started to droop, and he was startled awake more than once by almost falling off his chair because of sheer exhaustion. 

“Up all night catching bad guys?” Virgil said as he chuckled to himself.

“Oh shut up, Shadowy Emo! It’s my job as a  _ superhero _ to do that. It isn't my fault that Logan decided to wake me up this early for a meeting!” Roman exclaimed, throwing his hands out, almost knocking over his coffee.

“It was an urgent matter, Roman. I called you both here because I had a vision. Someone is going to wreak havoc, and it’s going to be bad. City destroying bad,” Roman and Virgil looked confused but terrified. 

Logan’s visions had never been about something so big. They were both ready to bombard Logan with questions, but he held up a finger and continued, “I know the name of the person and how they look. It should be relatively easy to find him,”

“Why don't we just alert the authorities?!” Virgil exclaimed, already doing his breathing exercises. It wasn't every day you got that kind of information thrown at your face. "I don't do hero work, and you and Roman only stop low-risk criminals. You know this is way over our heads!"

"I do not want to create panic, and you know that involving the authorities will do that. The future can’t be changed, but if we get close to the person it might be easier to figure out how to stop him,” 

Logan had been thinking up a plan, and Virgil was not going to like it.

“When I have figured out a way to track the person down, I would like Virgil to approach him,” he said, fixing his glasses and preparing for a loud outburst.

“WHAT?! No! I just told you I don’t do hero-work!” Virgil yelled, disbelief shining in his eyes.

“Yeah, I’m with Darkness over there. If we find this villain, we should just turn him in! I mean, we are dealing with an evil Thor here! Or we could fight him when we find him. That will catch him off guard. He doesn’t know that we know what he’s gonna do,” Roman said. He had always wanted to stop a supervillain.

“The authorities can’t arrest him when they don’t have proof of what he’ll do. My word isn’t enough, and I have a feeling that there’s more to the story than what I saw. The best course of action would be to keep an eye on him. That way we will also know the easiest way to stop him,” Logan added, sighing before continuing.

“And Virgil, the confrontation will not be physical in any way. I just want you to talk to him. Figure out a way to get them to our apartment. You two seemed close in my vision, so it would be safest if you’re the one he sees first,” he said, trying to calm Virgil down.

After more than an hour of convincing, Virgil reluctantly agreed to do it.

* * *

Present-day.

Virgil took off his shoes before entering the living room. He had taken a longer route home so he could collect his thoughts before talking with the others. He couldn’t believe that he just meet the man from Logan’s vision. The supervillain as Roman called him. It couldn’t be him, right? He looked like he wouldn’t hurt a fly. It wasn’t even the same powers as Logan had described to him. It was supposed to be something storm-related.

That could only mean that either they had the wrong guy or Patton had more than two abilities. Virgil hoped it was the former, but Logan was good with computers, and there weren’t many Pattons in their city, and apparently, only one who wore glasses. 

So, Patton had to have more abilities. Virgil had never heard of someone with so many strong powers before. He wondered if Patton knew about the storm powers. Patton had, after all, only told him about the other abilities.

Logan sat on the couch, waiting for Virgil. He knew how nervous he had been and just wanted to make sure that his brother was okay after the meeting. Something could have gone wrong. Virgil was gone longer than expected. He rushed over the minute he heard Virgil enter.

“Why did it take so long?? You didn’t call! I was worried!” he said. The sound of relief was clear in his voice, though.

“Sorry, Lo. I needed to think some things through. I think we need to talk,” he answered while texting Roman to come to the living room.

When they all sat around the coffee table, Virgil told them about his meeting with Patton. He told them about the other abilities and about how he had reacted to finally having someone to talk with. 

“He doesn’t seem threatening in any way. You should have seen him! He’s the human version of a goddam puppy,”

“Logan saw him in his vision, Virgil! He is a villain! We stop people like him! How do you know he hasn’t mind-controlled you to think that, huh?” Roman exclaimed. Virgil had a small sliver of doubt when he pointed that out, but he had felt what Patton had felt, and he was almost certain that he hadn't mind-controlled him.

“I know we have to stop him! And I’m about to suggest something that you might not be happy about” Virgil took a deep breath before continuing “I have his number, and he’s gonna come over at some point because I, um, I kinda promised to help him get control over his powers,”

Logan had patiently listened to his brother, but now he had some questions.

“Is it a good idea to help him gain more strength? He seemed pretty strong in the vision,”

“He’s miserable, Logan. Not having control has pushed him into isolation and loneliness…... Like me before getting help with my powers,” 

Logan understood now. His brother had shut everyone out for years before they found Emile and Remy to help. Maybe it would be a good idea to get them to help the man. Logan still had a feeling that his vision didn’t show the whole story. He was pulled out of his thoughts by Virgil talking again.

“Also, I think we should let him move into our guest bedroom, be-,”

“You what!? You gotta be joking right now!” Roman yelled.

Virgil took another deep breath and continued.

“Let me explain! We get to know him up close, and he’s gonna be in the same building as Emile’s office and Remy’s gym. Can we please try to help him?” 

Virgil hoped they would understand. Patton had no one, and he needed to see that it didn’t have to stay like that. Him getting control over his powers would help him with that. Maybe they wouldn’t be able to stop Patton from destroying the city. But the destruction could be because he didn’t have control, and helping him get control could mean that it would be easier to stop him.

Roman didn’t look convinced at all, and he was just about to make his disagreement known when Logan started talking.

“I agree with Virgil. Letting him stay here is the best course of action. Text him and ask him to come over so we can talk it through with him. Don’t let him know about his future, though,”

“Not you too! You know what? You two can deal with this situation then. I’m out!” Roman exclaimed before leaving the room.

Virgil hoped Roman would change his mind when he met Patton, but knowing his best friend that wasn’t likely to happen. 

“Don’t worry too much, V. We will figure this out. Together. We always do,” Logan said as he gave his brother a quick shoulder squeeze before he too left the room.

Virgil took out his phone and pulled up Patton’s number. He had put a bee emoji next to his name. Could he get any cuter? Virgil thought. He had a small smile on his face as he started writing the message.

_ ‘Hey, Pat. Wanna meet up next week?’ _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you enjoyed chapter four:D I can't promise when the next chapter will be up.  
> Don't be afraid to leave a comment!


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Patton meets Logan

Patton and Virgil had been texting for about a week before Patton mustered up the courage to set up a meeting with Virgil and his brother at their apartment.

It was raining a bit, and Patton was carefully walking up the street.

Virgil had recommended wearing headphones and listening to distracting music to tune out the thoughts when he was outside. He had even made Patton a playlist with some of the music he listened to when anxiety got the best of him, as well as some songs he thought Patton would like.

Right now, a song from My Chemical Romance was playing. It was bringing Patton back to when he sat alone in the bathroom, listening to music while eating lunch in school. That was before he dropped out because he couldn’t concentrate and began at an online school.

Patton was actually kind of mad at himself for not thinking about the idea before. It would have made so many grocery-trips a lot more bearable. But he was extremely grateful that Virgil had cared enough to give him the advice. He still didn’t think he deserved any of the kindness, though.

The music helped a lot. He could still hear the thoughts of the people walking past him, but it was more muffled and much easier to ignore. 

He was so distracted that he almost bumped into someone. Patton realized that he had also missed a turn. He walked back, and it didn’t take long before he stood in front of a tall apartment building.

This was it, Virgil’s apartment.

Patton saw two signs on the front door.

“Emile Picani: Specialized ability therapist”

“Power work-out! Get control - Remy Aureli”

Patton’s heart skipped a beat. 

_‘those must be the people Virgil told me about’_ he thought.

He got nervous all of a sudden. Thoughts of failure plaguing his mind. What if he couldn’t get control? What if this was all there was? A life full of noise. But the small voice of hope made him ring the doorbell.

It didn’t take long before he was buzzed in. They lived on the highest floor, but Patton chose to take the stairs to get time to collect his thoughts.

Patton had barely knocked on the door one time before it was opened. Before him stood a tall man with slicked-back hair, a button-up, and glasses. He must have been by the door when Patton reached it. 

“Ah, salutations, you must be Patton. I’m Logan. A pleasure to meet you,” the man said as he reached his hand out to Patton. 

He slowly took it, still getting over the shock of how quickly the door was opened.

“Hi. Nice to meet you too,” he said, trying to smile. He was not sure he was succeeding, though.

Then he heard Virgil from inside the apartment.

“Invite him in, Lo. I can feel his nervousness all the way from over here,”

Patton felt a smile tuck on his lips as he heard Virgil’s voice, but he quickly forced it down when he saw Logan staring.

They went to the kitchen, where Virgil had already put down three cups of steaming hot tea. When he saw Patton and Logan walk in, he gave them a small smile and a wave.

“Oh, um, small question, Logan,” Patton said, waiting for Logan to acknowledge that he was talking before continuing, “how did you open the door so fast? I feel like I didn’t even knock before you opened,”

Logan looked confused for a second. For him doing stuff fast was an everyday occurrence. He sometimes forgot he did it.

“Ah, I can see why that would be confusing,” he said “I was blessed with the power of speed,”

Patton flinched at the word ‘blessed’ and Virgil felt his discomfort at the mention.

“Okay, let’s sit. I would like to drink my tea before it gets cold for once,” he said, trying to lift the mood.

Patton gave him a small smile, and Logan huffed.

“Maybe you should stop forgetting about the tea and then finding it days after,” Logan chuckled.

“That was one time! I mostly just forget about it for thirty minutes!” Virgil protested.

Patton’s discomfort had shifted to delight, and Virgil couldn’t stop the smile forming on his lips. It was nice feeling something other than sadness from him.

They sat down and started talking. Patton briefly wondered why he didn’t hear much of Logan’s thoughts, but then he remembered why he couldn’t hear Virgil’s and just figured that his brother learned to control his thoughts better too. It was nice to have a conversation without all the extra noise. Now that he thought about it, Patton couldn’t recall when the last time he had more than a brief conversation with someone was.

The conversation carried on for hours. They talked about everything from movies to music.

He could get used to that, having people to talk to.

But the nagging thought that it would all eventually crash and burn was still there.

“So, Patton, you remember those people I told you about at the park?” Virgil asked, “the ones who might be able to help you?”

Virgil felt the spike of excitement in Patton, and it was impossible to stop the smile it brought to his face.

“Yes!” he answered but quickly became embarrassed by how loud he was. “I mean, um, yeah, I think I saw their signs outside earlier?”

Virgil didn’t even try to stop the chuckle that came out of him. He could feel the small sliver of hope blossoming in Patton’s chest. 

“Yeah, they work in this apartment. I’ve already talked with them, and they’re more than happy to help you,”

Patton threw his arms around Virgil and kept muttering ‘thank yous’. Virgil made sure to absorb a bit of the pain still residing in his new friend. Enough so that it would make a difference whilst Patton also wouldn’t notice he had done it.

Logan watched the hug from the sofa. He wasn’t much of a touchy person, so he was okay just knowing that Patton appreciated what they were doing for him. Logan knew his brother, though, and he could see that this supposed destructive, evil man was special to him. He really hoped there was more to the vision than what he saw. His brother deserved someone who could make him smile like this. Logan wished with all his might that this whole thing wouldn’t blow up in their faces and hurt Virgil.

“Oh, Patton, one more thing,” Virgil said after they had finished the hug, “since Remy and Emile are here in this building, you are more than welcome to stay in our guest bedroom if that would be easier than traveling every time you have an appointment,”

“Really? Are you sure? I mean, I don’t know. I don’t want to be a bother -” Patton blabbered on nervously before Logan interrupted him.

“We assure you that it is fine, Patton. We are here to help,”

“Then yes! I think I would really like that,”

_‘Good’_ Logan thought, _‘now we can keep an eye on him’_

“Keep an eye on me?” Patton asked, confusion painted on his face.

Virgil sensed Logan’s panic and stepped in.

“Yeah, of course, Pat, we want to make sure you’re okay,”

“Oh, okay, thank you,” he replied, feeling a flutter in his stomach upon hearing the nickname.

He looked at the clock and realized how late it had gotten. It made him sad that he had to leave, but the animals at the pet shop he worked at needed him.

“I’m sorry, I really have to leave now if I want to keep my job. I can’t thank you enough for this,” he said, walking out to get his jacket and shoes.

“It’s okay. I’ll text you later to figure out how we’ll do the whole move thing, alright?” 

“Okay, Virge” Patton nodded, gave Virgil and Logan a smile, and waved goodbye.

And just like that, the brothers were once again alone in the apartment. Just like Patton had a few moments before, Virgil felt warmth swirling inside when he heard the nickname. 

While Virgil was busy blushing, Logan was already thinking about how they would go about this whole situation. The easy part was getting Patton to their apartment. He made a mental checkmark now that that had been accomplished. The hard part was figuring out why Patton was going to destroy the city and how to stop him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I know it's been a while, sorry about that. The writing will probably get worse from now on bc my motivation is low but I still really wanna tell this story. I might rewrite it at some point. I hope y'all are still willing to follow along. I can't promise when updates will be tho.
> 
> Thanks for reading.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank y’all so much for reading. I’ve been meaning to start posting this for 8 months but motivation went on a vacation. It’s back! And I hope it’ll stay so I can get to the exciting part :D


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